19. Paint from Memory/Invent

At various levels of building your visual vocabulary in the study of painting from life frequently, it can be extremely beneficial to try inventing scenes from memory or imagination. Take mental notes all the time on the appearance of things. Don’t memorize as much as try to understand the visual phenomenon taking place. Envision the shrinkage or enlargement of things in a Line of Site, so that the light and shadow patterns translate in relation to Linear Perspective. Experiment with combinations of shapes in silhouette, then build other form information with these. Things that already exist may have similar light and shadow patterns as things of science fiction or fantasy. A cliff band can look like a castle, a decaying tree stump could be a space station from certain angles, or a bug can look like a mech robot. This is the dance of inspiration and ability, memory and invention.